Loch Oich kayaking

According to the Great Glen Canoe Trail Loch Oich is "arguably the most scenic of the four lochs in the Great Glen". Our friends Rick and Anna managed to bag themselves a couple of free kayaks recently and as Rich had a day off work today we decided to accompany him for a paddle out on Loch Oich to experience the spectacular scenery for ourselves.


None of us has much experience on the water but it was a beautiful still sunny day, so perfect weather for an introductory outing. Matt and Rick were first out while I lagged behind at home with Alby making the obligatory picnic. When I did eventually arrive at the lochside with picnic, baby and dog in tow, I was met by a bemused Matt who assured me both kayaks were broken and he'd been going round in circles all morning. I wasn't sure I fancied that much but decided to have a go, so got myself into a buoyancy aid and off I went. I could see what he meant straight away, the boat had a definite tendency to spin, but by leaving a few seconds between paddles I could work out whether to swap sides or keep paddling the same side and this seemed to help me stay in a straight line.


Rick and I glided around for a while before the picnic beckoned and we tucked into our falafel wraps. We then had another go, had a race around the buoy (which I lost), went round in a few circles, and decided to call it a day so Matt could have another go before we retreated to the four-star luxury of Invergarry Lodge.

Jen x